On Monday March 3, 2014 all of the Candidates for the CREA 2014 Elections were sent the following questions and asked to answer them by the Winnipeg REALTORS. What follows are the questions and my answers to them.
I enjoyed the process because it allowed me to get an idea of what the Winnipeg REALTORS concerns were and allowed each of us to voice our opinions on each topic. Please note that the answers that follow are totally my own and are not associated to any Board or Committee position on any local, Provincial or CREA Committee or Council.
Feel free to disagree and email me with your thoughts. I am always happy to hear the other sides of an argument and ready to be educated.
Lastly, a thank you for the Winnipeg REALTORS who sent around the questions. It is a great exercise and I appreciate the opportunity to respond and I look forward to the discussion that may be generated.
CREA Director-at-Large Candidate Survey
1. CREA will terminate the mandate of the Futures ImplementationTeam (FIT) at the March meeting. Briefly – what is your impression of the process followed in the Future’s exercise and what do you believe were the major accomplishments and/ or shortcomings of the project?
Many thanks for your invitation to comment. Those of you who know me, know that I am not shy when asked my opinion. I was very disappointed with the FIT Project and voiced my opinion on many occasions to the CREA Board of Directors. I felt that there was strong need for discussion on many topics but was unhappy with the moderator and felt as if we were all being led to some preconceived directions. We do happen to be reactionary and that needs focus in the future but as I voiced a few times in our sessions, too many times our members were made to feel bad for not accepting change when what they were not accepting was the change being brought forward by the FIT team.
2. Do you agree with the direction proposed by FIT that CREA should establish a ‘National Virtual College’? Are the Provinces (which are responsible for education) onside with this initiative?
I believe there is still a need for a good education, the provinces and regulators are in charge of education and it will take a very good reason before I change my opinion about it. I think in the heart and minds of members, we ought not cross other jurisdictions. Therefore, I am against the "virtual college".
3. If CREA, the Provincial Associations and local Boards all identify the REALTOR® as the "member", how do we avoid duplication of products and services like data distribution, sticky web sites, commercial information exchanges, education, etc.?
CREA, provincial councils and local administration must be firm on what they offer to their members. Sometimes you have to be flexible when it comes to issues of cost and staff, but we need strict bonderies, especially with the Large Boards because they have access to more resources and can offer more services.
4. What is your understanding of progress on a national Commercial Information Exchange? Do you think CREA should be involved in a national Commercial Listing Service and do you have a position as to whether it should be ‘user pay’? Would it ‘compete’ with local Board Commercial Exchanges?
Commercial is a specialty best handled by the Commercial membership as per their needs. CREA could give support in terms of marketing and hosting of the Commercial internet exchange but leave the running of it outside the normal MLS®. A lot of the Commercial transactions happen outside of MLS® and trying to include Commercial in an MLS® site will only weaken the brand..However, that means that we must support our Commercial members while recognizing the distinction.
5. CREA has changed its governance model because of some changes to Federal Legislation governing Not-for-Profits. As a result there is no guarantee that Commercial REALTORS® will be represented on CREA’s Board of Directors. Do you share our concern that Commercial REALTORS®’ must be heard – and if you agree – do you have any ideas as to how we can assure their participation?
As a member of the MLS® and Technology Council which has also gone through a similar process, I am hopeful that our membership would always be on the lookout for a balance at the Board table...choosing a Board member that had tech oriented views as well as one that wore a Commercial hat. When sitting at the Board of Directors table as a director-at-large, I hope to represent all the membership in the best way possible especially when I have no vested interest in the outcome.
6. What do you think CREA’s Directors have (or should have) learned from the Québec situation?
Originally a Western Canadian, I moved to Montreal in the early seventies and left when the Partie Québecois came to power, and moved to Toronto. I sympathize and understand the Québec situation and am happy that the CREA Board has come to an accommodation with them. Real estate is very local and there are many changes as we cross Canada. CREA must always show flexibility especially when it comes into conflict with the Provincial Regulator. There is room in a happy family for all.
7. Do you agree that new products and services for Members from CREA should be à-la-carte (user pay)? Why or why not?
I agree with certain a-la-carte services especially when there is duplication. Streamlining of services for the members is important however there must be an agreement of acceptable standards. CREA can not be run with a lowest-common denominator standard. It must be a Good Housekeeping Seal Standard...
8. If the listing REALTOR® is supposed to be responsible for the currency, accuracy and completeness of information about his/her listings on the web, do you think it’s CREA’s responsibility to add unverified, non-REALTOR® information to that listing (e.g. walk score; demographics; crime statistics)? Please explain.
We are very lucky in Canada to have a product like REALTOR.ca. Our counterparts around the world are envious and I am old enough to remember when move.com was the provider and our members had to pay hundreds for what they now get at an extremely low cost. (my US friends tell me that the visibility we enjoy on REALTOR.ca would cost thousands on REALTOR.com these days) hat being said we must provide the most accurate data to the consumer that we can find and having it from third parties accurately distinguished as their data is the way to go. I have spoken about REALTOR.ca becoming less transactional and more lifestyle, becoming the source for everything about home ownership. When we are only in the public's mind during the transaction, we cannot be disappointed with the way we are viewed by them as such. We need to look at ways of changing the perception.
9. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish as a Director of CREA?
My goals have always been to improve standards and tools offered to today's real estate agents, to help members cope with the wave of international buyers and sellers, and promote the diversity of our great country and our organization. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions. Do not hesitate to contact me and talk to me anytime if you need further information.
Title Photo by: Robert Taylor